John A. Zoidberg
| species = Decapodian | age = | planet = Formerly: Decаpod 10 Currently: Earth | relatives = Mother: Sam Adoptive mother: Sadie Brothers: Norman, several unnamed Sistеrs: Several unnamed Uncle: Harold Cousin: Zoidfarb | job = Planet Express physician | status = Alive | appearance = Episode Two: The Series Has Landed | voiced by = Billy West }} John A. Zoidberg, Ph.D., better known as Zoidberg, was born on the planet Decapod 10 and moved to Earth to practice medicine after giving up his dream of becoming a comedian. He has limited knowledge of human anatomy, once confusing Fry and Bender, even though he is a self-proclaimed expert on humans. He speaks, as all Decapodians do, with a heavy Yiddish accent. He is the nephew of famed eccentric movie celebrity Harold Zoid. On a number of occasions, Zoidberg has made mention of Bender being his best friend.How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back Zoidberg is actually the alien discovered in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.Roswell That Ends Well He lives in Professor Farnsworth's Alien Cross-Species Genetic Analyzer.Citation needed A conversation Zoidberg has with the Professor suggests that he is only staying with Planet Express because he is a slave, and must "earn his freedom."The Beast with a Billion Backs He is technically homeless, and very poor, being a very unsuccessful "internal medicine doctor". In fact, it is revealed that Zoidberg does not actually have a medical degree (his doctorate is in Art History).The Duh-Vinci Code Despite his professional incompetence, he has been drafted into the DOOP army as a MEAT surgeon.War is the H-Word In addition to his fake medical degree, he has mail-order degrees in murderology and murderonomy.Anthology Of Interest I He is extremely poor and has stated several times that he has no home. Hermes Conrad considers him as practically a slave. He usually eats from the trash or a dumpster and is envious of even the smallest amounts of money. He is excitable about his friends and is very trusting with the crew. He appears to be rather fond of all of them, only really disliking Bender. Most of the crew finds Zoidberg (or at least his species) to be disgusting as he will eat almost anything, and his extreme incompetance as a doctor has done nothing for his popularity. A composite of numerous sea creatures, Zoidberg's features have been myriad. His known attributes include a removable exoskeleton, a retractable head fin that indicates arousal or aggression, an ink gland, a "stink gland", a gland that emits foul odors when he's bored, an empathy bladder, a freshwater stomach, a saltwater stomach, four hearts, a throat that apparently produces psychedelic blue pearls, and a "wazoo". This last item is apparently some sort of sex organ, the place where the "male jelly" comes out for the mating of his species. It has been revealed that passing on genetic material is a life terminating event for these lobster people, so while the good doctor once informed Leo Wong that he "took the liberty of fertilizing his caviar" for him, it remains ambiguous as to what, exactly, transpired.Where the Buggalo Roam Zoidberg reverted through several of the early "larval" life cycle stages of his species after being exposed to a youth tar. He seems to have started off as a small immobile creature from which asexually fragmented "brothers" could separate (each with a distinct personality). A later stage was a parasitic lamprey, followed by a large clam inside which his head was visible. The next oldest form resembled a trilobite. Other stages included a sea urchin and a cuttlefish.Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles Zoidberg is responsible for a number of disasters and misfortunes which befall Earth's people, including their enslavement by the Decapodians. Due to his alleged overacting in a TV series finale, the people of Earth are denied the Omicronian secret to eternal youth. He is also partially responsible for the sale of Planet Express to MomCorp, due to foolishly trading all of his stocks to That Guy for nothing more than a sandwich. Romance(s) Even though Zoidberg is usually disliked by everybody he comes into contact with, he did manage to find a little romance with a Lobster at the Hipster Club when Amy took Leela out to find a man, walking out with the lobster in his arms after the bar closed.Love's Labours Lost in Space He also had fallen in love with Edna, but the feelings weren't mutual; Edna fell in love with Fry instead. He and the Jellyfish Monster (who also served as his field nurse during the war) were seen sharing a glass of wine on the Titanic.Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love? Trivia *At one point, it was revealed that Dr. Zoidberg always thought that Fry was a robot and not Bender. *Zoidberg's birthday is the day after Amy's.Time Keeps On Slippin' *Zoidberg is one of those who went inside Fry's body in Parasite's Lost. *Zoidberg is the only person to be deemed 'good' by Robot Santa. *Zoidberg's medical speciality is declaring people medically dead, whether they are or not. *Zoidberg played a minor role in "The Magnificent Three." *His doctorate is in art history. *Even though he is poor, he somehow obtained the money to buy the new eyephone in "Attack of The Killer App." *Zoidberg often mispronounces words, such as on several occasions, he calls Bender "Robot" but pronounces it Row-bit or Row-but. *It is revealed in "Bendless Love" that he has a pet Slinky. *Zoidberg is made to clean up messes around the Planet Express building by the other employees, even when the mess was made by everyone. *When Zoidberg recieved $300 from the mass tax refund, he thought he was rich. *He is an honorary member of the Harlem Globetrotters along with Professor Farnsworth, Amy, and Hermes. *Everyone makes him pay for stuff (even though he has no money and people will not pay him any). *In the episode "The Silence of the Clamps", it is revealed that the only reason he is a member of planet express is to snip and cut, and is extremely sensitive about this role. *He once managed to beat the everloving daylight out of a Mob Enforcer with his bare claws. *Zoidberg and Professor Farnsworth have been friends for 83 years, discovered in the episode "The Tip of the Zoidberg". *Zoidberg is a competent physician, but not for humans. He is competent in the atonamy of aliens, and even Mom recognizes his skillfulness with aliens. *Zoidberg really does posses a doctorate but in art history, not in medecine."The Duh-Vinci Code" Behind the Scenes In the development process for the show, David X. Cohen looked to the the original Star Trek series for inspiration. Dr. Leonard McCoy often operated on alien species, so they decided to have an alien doctor that served the human crew, and as the series unfolded it became clear that Zoidberg's medical ability was lacking. Additionally, Zoidberg's character also took on other running jokes; he became poor, lonely, and a failed comedian in addition to being a horrible doctor. The name "Zoidberg" comes from a game for the Apple II, that Cohen developed when he was in high school. Although Zoid was never picked up, it became the basis for Zoidberg's name. The voice for Dr. Zoidberg was developed by Billy West, influenced by actors Lou Jacobi and George Jesselhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2006/06/15/billy-west-the-tv-squad-interview Sources Category:Planet Express Crew Category:Globetrotters Category:Characters Category:Aliens Category:Decapodians Category:Main Characters Category:Articles in need of citation Category:Military Category:Males Category:Photo Pop Characters